


Coming Back As We Are

by RemitheDaydreamer



Series: Sucker Love [9]
Category: Archie Comics, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, But kind of Clueless Vibes now tbh, Confused Cheryl, Confused Veronica, F/M, KathrynSebastianVibes, Step-siblings, VanDerBassVibes, confused Archie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 02:39:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12379176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RemitheDaydreamer/pseuds/RemitheDaydreamer
Summary: When they hung out as a group, Betty and Jughead avoided being in close proximity. They also didn’t participate in their usual ‘eye sexing’.“Cher, maybe …” Veronica started, before being abruptly interrupted by Cheryl.“Those two aren’t being weird human heart eye emojis, and I need to know why.”OR: The one where everyone is confused why Betty and Jughead didn't get back together.Cooper-Jones, Step-Sibling AU, part nine.





	Coming Back As We Are

**Author's Note:**

> We're almost at the end of regularly scheduled parts of this series. One or two more left :D

“I can’t believe they aren’t together.” Archie said, before resting his chin on his folded hands.

Cheryl nodded in agreement before sipping her Cherry Coke. “I mean we put them in their natural mating habitat – clandestine confined areas!” She said dramatically.

Veronica tapped her perfectly manicured hands on the worn leather couch. She was just as confused as the two of her best friends. After the closet intervention last week, the two had been amicable. They were on speaking terms, but they weren’t acting like they cared about each other. It’s like they had no interest in being together at all.

When they hung out as a group, Betty and Jughead avoided being in close proximity. They also didn’t participate in their usual ‘eye sexing’.

“Cher, maybe …” Veronica started, before being abruptly interrupted by Cheryl.

“Those two aren’t being weird human heart eye emojis, and I need to know why.” The red headed girl demanded, before crushing her soda can in her hand.

 

* * *

 

“Betty Cooper. Speak now.” 

The blonde sighed, and sat down on top of Cheryl’s gothic themed bed.

After River Vixen’s practice, Veronica and Cheryl cornered her and demanded a girl’s night. She couldn’t say no, but was severely annoyed with her friends. They would not stop bothering her about Jughead. They had also enlisted Archie, who wouldn’t stop bothering her either.

“Speak about what, Cher?”

The red head rolled her eyes, and gestured to Veronica. “Back me up, V.”

Veronica sat next to Betty, narrowing her eyes at her blonde friend. “Come clean, Betty. What happened?”

 

* * *

 

 

_"Betts, come on." Jughead pleaded._

_"Do you remember our first kiss? You betrayed me after that too." She said bitterly._

_Jughead winced, recalling what happened after the kiss. They were at Cheryl's for a party, and they were playing a round of spin the bottle. The bottle had landed on Ginger Lopez, and she had turned it into tonsil hockey. He wasn’t into it, but at the time, he was trying to show off, so he complied._

_Betty was furious after that, and so began their truly antagonistic relationship. They had always squabbled in adolescence, but they never were truly venomous. After the Ginger incident, they truly bought into the narrative that people had placed on them._

_Betty and Jughead, the pair that was forced to "like" each other by association._ _Betty and Jughead, the friends who really hated each other. Betty and Jughead – the Serena Van Der Woodsen and Chuck Bass of Riverdale High._

_"I never did say sorry about that." He said softly. "I was stupid and I had just gained a reputation, Betts - a reputation that I'm embarrassed to say that I was once proud of. When I did want to apologize, I saw you and Chuck..."_

\---

_Jughead was outside of the gym waiting for the JV Vixens to come out. He had a single lily in his hand, and he was ready to apologize. He liked Betty. He liked Betty more than he wanted to admit to himself. What he was willing to admit was that he wanted her. He wanted her so bad._

_He heard the gym doors open, and there was Betty, hand-in-hand with Chuck Clayton. They paused at the door, before Betty leaned up and kissed him sweetly._

_He breathed in sharply, feeling a distinct pang in his heart. Not wanting Betty to see him, he turned away quickly._

_The lily fell forgotten on the floor._

\---

_"We're cursed, Jug." Betty muttered. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes. She didn't know how much heartbreak she could continue to take._

_"I'm sorry for never having the guts to correct any of this, Betts. It's like we were living out everyone's expectation of us..." He said, before getting up and taking a seat next to her._

_The blonde lifted her head, flitting her eyes to his soulful blue ones. "Like we were afraid of something so real..." Her voice trailed, and she could feel her anger start to disappear._

_"I'm sorry for pushing you away, Betts. I've always been scared, then Alice cornered -"_

_"My mother cornered you?" Venom laced in her voice. Her blood was boiling._

_She shook her head and got up, ready to bust out of the closet and give her mother a piece of her mind, but Jughead stopped her._

_"I shouldn't have listened to her. Either way I fucked up."_

_Betty turned around, resting her_ _head on Jughead's shoulder. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her._

_"For the record, you are a moron for listening to my mother."_

 

* * *

 

 

“That’s all that happened in three hours, B?” Cheryl shook her head and plopped next to Betty, placing her hands on her shoulders.

“I. Do. Not. Buy. This.” The red head said theatrically as she shook Betty’s shoulders.

The blonde gave her best friend a tight-lipped smile. “I promise you, me and Juggie are cool. We just don’t want to be together.”

Cheryl let out an annoyed scream, and dramatically collapsed onto her red satin sheets. Veronica smirked and let out a laugh. “I don’t buy it either, B – but I’ll bite for now.”

“Why don’t you guys talk to me about Archie? Seems like that’s a more pressing topic, because Grundy is a pedophile.” Betty playfully snapped back.

Veronica snorted, and Betty was hit square in the face with a black satin pillow courtesy of one Cheryl Blossom.

 

* * *

 

 

“What took you so long?”

The blonde shrugged, and snuck into the back row at the Bijou. “Cheryl and Veronica.”

Her companion nodded in the dark, slipping his hand into hers. She smiled placing a kiss on the trio of freckles on their cheek.

 

* * *

 

_“Yeah, I’m most definitely a moron.” He admitted, before dropping his hands to her waist._

_He sighed and breathed in her scent – strawberries and vanilla. He missed her; he had missed her so god damn much. The past three weeks had been a blur. It’s like he had forgotten how to function. He would wake up, go to school, avoid the gang, and then go to Sunnyside. Without her, everything had become meaningless._

_Though right now, being in her arms…it was like he could finally breathe again._

_“Are you still angry, Betts?” he whispered._

_She pulled back from his embrace, and reached up to cup his cheek. “I’m tired of being angry, Jug. Like we’ve talked about…we’ve wasted so much time.” She paused, looking intently into his deep blue eyes before continuing. “I don’t want to wait another second.”_

_He smiled at her, putting his hand on top of hers before kissing it. “I don’t want to wait another second.”_

_Betty grinned, placing a soft kiss on his lips. It was a chaste kiss, much different from their other kisses. Before, most of their kisses always felt like they were saying goodbye. This one felt like it was full of tomorrow._

_“I know it sounds weird, but I kind of don’t want to tell anyone just yet…I want to be us.” Betty said._

_“Okay, let’s keep it on the DL. To be honest, I think our meddling friends and parents deserve some suspense.” He said with a laugh._

_Betty chuckled, leaning in to embrace him tighter. “They totally deserve it.”_  


End file.
